Kuala Lumpur, Mon, 11 Jan – The Travel Agents` Association of India (TAAI) is holding an Office Bearers and Managing Committee Members Meeting at the Best Western Seri Pacific Hotel, Kuala Lumpur from the 11January to 13 January 2010. 

This three-day Meeting which involves twenty main committee members from all over India is chaired by the Mr. Rajinder Rai, the President of TAAI. Also attending the meeting is TAAI’s Vice President, Mr. Jagdeep Rickhy and the Hon. Secretary-General; Mr.Sunil Kumar Rumalla.

The agenda also includes a short networking session with local suppliers at the Putra World Trade Centre followed by a Welcome Dinner hosted by the Director-General of Tourism Malaysia, Dato` Mirza Mohammad Taiyab. Meanwhile, a city tour has also been scheduled to allow the delegation and their spouses to catch the wonderful sights and sounds of Kuala Lumpur.

Fast Facts:
1. India is among the top 10 markets for tourist arrivals to Malaysia. Last year, 589,838 tourists from India visited Malaysia. This is an increase of 7.1% compared to only 550,738 tourists the previous year (2008).

2. Malaysia and India share a strong longstanding link through history, culture, trade and tourism. While India is one of the popular holiday destinations for Malaysians, Indian tourists rank among the top 10 in arrivals to Malaysia. India is the 2nd largest tourist generating market outside the ASEAN region for Malaysia, contributing 10% to the non-ASEAN arrivals.

3. The number of tourist arrivals from India to Malaysia increased tremendously since 2000, the year we established our first office in India in New Delhi. Malaysia’s presence was further strengthened with the opening of 2 other offices in Chennai and Mumbai in 2001.

4. Indian arrivals to Malaysia grew by 317% from 132,127 in 2000 to 550,738 in 2008. Correspondingly, its market share of the total tourist arrivals increased from 1.29% to 2.49% over the same period.

5. In terms of tourist receipts, Indian tourists contributed RM1,496 million in 2008 (USD 427 mil) compared to only RM198.9 million (USD 56.8 mil) in 2000 (+652%). Its contribution to the total receipts rose from 1.14% in 2000 to 3.0% in 2008.

6. The average per capita expenditure of Indian tourists in 2008 was RM2,716 (USD776) with an average length of stay of 6.5 days.

7. For the first six months of 2009, the number of Indian tourists recorded were 289,000 i.e. -1.3% compared to the corresponding period last year.

8. With a population of more than one billion and the availability of affordable vacationing options, India’s outbound traffic has great potential for growth. The outbound traffic grew over 14% in 2007 to reach 8 million.